Neon Jedi Evangelion II: Children of the Force
by Xardion
Summary: The sequel to NJEI. C8-Prelude to the Future. Please R
1. Introduction

Disclaimer: I own neither Star Wars nor Evangelion. Now that that's out of the way...

_AN: Before I start, I should let it be known that this story will be continuing from the last chapter of the first fanfic, omitting the epilogues completely. No Xanatos, no Tahl, no Keel being a Sith Lord (although that may come up in this; I haven't decided) I wanted to continue a certain way and the epilogues kind of got in the way of that. So this story will completely ignore them and continue anew. I just believe it will make more sense that way._

_Anyway, here we go again..._

* * *

Neon Jedi Evangelion

Part II

Children of the Force

It has been nearly a year since the failed assault of NERV and the near destruction of mankind. NERV continues his former operations, however, with the absence of the Angels, the Evangelions have little purpose now and NERV itself faces disband. The only thing keeping the organization in place is the three Children, whose power and abilities in the Force are steadily growing.

_

* * *

_________

Ravenhold Maximum Security Prison

Walking silently through the white hallway, Shinji Ikari strode toward the exit of the prison. His visit with his father, Gendo, had gone on as it did the last couple of times he visited; quietly. After his first visit, Shinji had decided to make a habit of it and thus visited monthly. Two visits later, a chess set was allowed in for the two and it has been that way ever since. Shinji, while not exceptionally skilled at the game, picked it quickly enough to where he would get a nod of approval from Gendo every now and again.

Strange that he would receive his father's approval when he no longer needed it...

Words were rarely exchanged between the two, but neither person minded. They simply went on in silence until time ran out. At times, Shinji wondered why he would visit at all. This was the man that had caused him and his friends so much pain in the past and nearly destroyed the world. But with that knowledge, Shinji understood why he did it.

_Mother..._

Though his actions were irreprehensible, it was brought about by love. Shinji wondered that if he was in his father's position, would he do the same? No. There where no what if's. There was only the present and your actions within it. Shinji learned that lesson both from Qui Gon and his own life experiences.

Living in the past would only hurt a person.

Lifting his eyes, Shinji found that he had walked a good distance from the prison. Closing his eyes briefly, he took in a breath of air and allowed his senses to take in the environment. It always calmed his mind when he did this. Despite all the changes that happened to him over the past, he still felt like the same fearful, anxious Shinji Ikari that first arrived to Tokyo-3.

Funny what meeting a Jedi would do to you…

_

* * *

_

'My strength it the crystal. It is the center of my focus.'

In the midst of delicate hands, various metallic pieces hovering about in the air. Within the metal fragments was a shimmering blue sapphire crystal, also hovering in the empty space. Slowly, the metal pieces began to converge on each other, encasing the glittering gem within a metal cylinder. Various clicks sounded within the device, sealing it.

_'The crystal is the Force. Calmness that is centered with clarity.'_

The cylinder slowly settled down onto the hands beneath it. One of the hands tentatively closed around the metal in a light grip. From one end of the device, a stream of light emerged and stretched out a few feet in a blade of blue energy. The hand flexed lightly and the device along with it, twirling it slightly.

_'The Force is my strength. It is my ally against the darkness.'_

Another flex, this time bringing the blade upright and illuminating the face of the one who constructed it. Delicate features were aglow as crimson eyes searched about the device in examination. Everything seemed to be in place, in accordance with her sensei's instruction. The device... the lightsaber, was complete.

As was her training...

Deactivating the weapon, Rei Ayanami rose up from the floor she had been working on and turned around toward the man standing near the doorway behind her. Clad in long robes, his large form seemed imposing, but his blue eyes showed only gentle wisdom.

"Well done. In completing this, you have finished your Jedi training. The rest will be up to you now, Rei."

"Arigato...Qui Gon-sensei."

_

* * *

_

Patience...

Outside in a forest area, a young woman stood still in the middle of a glade within the trees. Her fiery-colored hair fluttered lightly in the wind and eyes were closed. However, she was more than well aware of her surroundings and now, her mind was in search of something, someone. Waiting...

_'About time...'_

Opening her eyes, one of her hands reached down and took hold of a metallic cylinder that had been hooked to her side. At the same time, another figure emerged from behind her through the trees. Slowly, she began to turn to the new comer, a grin forming over her features.

"What kept you?"

The newcomer smiled, albeit sheepishly. "Sorry, Asuka."

"Again with the apologizes?" the German girl replied, shaking her head. "But then, you wouldn't be you if you didn't, would you Shinji?"

Shinji shrugged in return, stepping out into the clearing fully. Seeing what was in her hand, the young man reached back and unclipped a similar device from his back. Asuka's smile turned into a grin and she activated the device; a crimson beam of light shimmering forth from it. Shinji did the same, producing a violet beam from his. Both teens fell into stance and a silent moment passed between them.

"Ha!"

Asuka moved in first, becoming a silent blur that rushed at Shinji and soon becoming a flash of sparks as her lightsaber clashed with Shinji's. But that was only the start of it as Asuka pressed on, whirling about and bringing her saber toward his mid-section. Shinji stepped back, whirling with her and catching her blade before it could come to him. But again, Asuka spun again, bring her saber in from higher up. Shinji ducked just under the crimson blade and moved away, bringing his saber back in a defensive position while Asuka turned to face him.

"Come on. Don't wuss out on me now."

Again, Asuka went on the offensive, attacking with two quick slashes before cart-wheeling around the boy's side. Shinji managed to track her and met her lightsaber swing as she let it out again. But instead of letting her back away again, Shinji stepped forward, forcing their blades to lock. Asuka almost lost her balance in this, but managed to hop back and break the lock.

Now Shinji went on the attack, lifting his saber high and bringing it down forcefully. Asuka blocked, but strained under the pressure as their blades locked again. Shinji then pushed forward, this time causing Asuka to lose her footing entirely. But Asuka easily rolled of the grassy floor and flipped back to her feet without missing a beat. A grin came over her face as she looked over at her sparring partner.

"Now that's more like it."

Shinji smiled back in return and held his lightsaber in defense, but Asuka lowered her own blade and deactivated it. Shinji was confused for a moment, but that was until he sensed the presence of the Jedi master as well as Rei. Shutting his lightsaber down, Shinji turned around to see the two walking toward them through the trees. His gaze lowering, Shinji saw the completed lightsaber hooked to Rei's side.

"You completed your lightsaber, Rei. Congratulations."

"Thank you...Shinji."

Although a year had passed, Rei was still a bit unaccustomed to responding to words of gratitude. However, she had noticed that Shinji seemed to be always looking for a time to say them to her and for that, she was truly grateful. Qui Gon continued to walk as Rei stopped just behind him and the Jedi master was now standing in their midst.

"You three have all done well, and I'm proud of you for that." he began. "But now the time has come to find your own paths."

The statement surprised all three of them and Asuka was the first to ask. "What do you mean?"

"You're not going to teach us anymore?" Rei added quietly.

"I know it has only been a year, but the three of you have improved beyond my expectations." His voice lowered somewhat. "There is very little more I can teach you now."

There was a moment of silent as the teens contemplated over his words, after which Shinji spoke up. "I don't understand. I thought that the apprentice was to stay with their master until they became a knight."

Qui Gon nodded. "In the past, that was true. But now I see that the situation is different and that changes are needed."

That was truer than anything, Qui Gon had realized. Since his meeting with Shinji, he saw that if the Jedi were to ever rise on this world, a different manner was needed for them to do so. Even though he remembered the Jedi Code, he was never strict in following it in his past life and neither would he do so in this life. And he knew that his meeting with Shinji as well as Asuka and Rei, all of whom were strong in the Force, was no coincidence. He was basically at the beginning, the start of the foundation and he wanted it to be a good one.

"You are still padawans, but now you have to start doing things with what you have learned, but without me over you. Only then could it be determined if you are truly Jedi Knights."

"In short, you're saying we have to grow up now." Asuka replied bluntly.

The Jedi lifted an amused eyebrow at her comment. "From a certain point of view, yes. This doesn't mean that I'm abandoning you. But just as you have to 'grow up', I have to take a step back and let you."

Silence again as they thought over his words. Qui Gon said nothing and let them do so. And once again, Shinji broke the silence. "Will we see you again?"

Qui Gon smiled. Out of the three, his bond with Shinji was the strongest as he was the first apprentice of this lifetime that he had taken up. But Shinji possessed another bond, a stronger bond; the one that connected Shinji with Asuka and Rei. It would be a bond they would soon need more than ever. He felt that a change was coming, a disturbance in the Force. He didn't know what it was, but he wanted the three to be ready to face it together. But even still...

"I have no doubt of that, Shinji."

A honking of a car horn broke the somber mood. Eyes widening, Shinji then scratched the back of his head embarrassingly, realizing that he had forgotten that Misato was waiting for them. He had said he would go get the others after she had picked him up from the prison, but it looks like it had been a little longer than he thought.

"Oh, I guess we left her waiting too long." Asuka chuckled.

"Well then..." Qui Gon replied. "You three best be on your way then."

Standing together, the three began to move in the direction of the car, but they stopped, turned about and bowed to Qui Gon.

"Sayonara, Qui Gon-sensei...and thank you for everything."

The Jedi mater returned the gesture to his apprentices. _Apprentices..._ To think that he would think of having more than one student. Not that he never considered it before. But the realty of it still felt new to him. No matter. On this world, he was not bound to the Jedi Code. Although he lived by it, it wasn't the final say on his actions. And if he remembered correctly, in another lifetime, such rigidness led to the fall of the Jedi in part. It was time for a new way and to hope for its success.

To hope in these Children of Eva...

"May the Force be with you all."


	2. C1

Disclaimer: See initial chapter

* * *

_Chapter 1 - To Start Over_

* * *

_Katsuragi Residence_

_A familiar ceiling..._

No matter what, Shinji was always struck with that thought whenever he woke up; largely because for a good portion of his life, he had been used to seeing unfamiliar ceilings. Regardless of this, he always took note of it for, if nothing else, out of habit. And with all that had happened to him and the training he undertook, he now found it a very thoughtful way to start the morning.

With a stretch, Shinji rose up from his cot in the living room. Since Rei moved in with them, Shinji had let her have his room while he slept in the living room. When she protested, Shinji had simply replied that she needed the room more than he did. Besides, there were only three rooms in the apartment and with him as the only male there, it was the only sensible thing to do. He didn't have much, so there was no worry of moving things out (the fact that she had less was also to be noted.) The only other option would have been to share rooms and none of them were eager to do that, for various reasons.

In any case, Shinji didn't mind it and comfortably stood up to stretch again. After stretching, he took a few steps forward and settled onto the middle of the floor, crossing his legs as he did. With a breath, he closed his eyes and took in the sensation of the living Force around him. In a few moments, Shinji was made aware of all the life around him. He could sense Rei in her room, already awake and preparing to do the same thing he was. He felt Asuka, just beginning to gain consciousness from her sleep. He didn't sense Misato however, and he figured that she had another late night and was stuck in NERV again. There was also...

"Wark!"

Opening his eyes, Shinji smiled as he looked upon Pen-Pen, who had waddled up in front of him. Rubbing the head of the warm-water penguin, Shinji rose from his position and moved to the refrigerator to get the penguin's breakfast. As he did, he heard a door opening and he turned to see Rei leaving her room and head for the bathroom, but not before looking over at Shinji and giving him one of her rare smiles.

"Ohayo, niisan." _("Good morning, brother.")_

Shinji smiled in return. "Ohayo, neechan." _("Good morning, sister.")_

With that said Rei entered the bathroom and closed the door while Shinji returned to feeding Pen-Pen. This seemed to be the way their mornings have started since they returned home. Shinji would wake up first and start breakfast, followed closely by Rei who would bid him a good morning before heading to the bathroom. It was the only time that she would address him as brother and he would address her as sister.

Even though they knew that Rei wasn't in fact related to him (learning that some time after the invasion when Maya informed them) and that Rei was her own being, she didn't stop calling him that and he didn't mind in the least in returning the favor. As Shinji moved to the refrigerator to take out what he would be making for breakfast, he awaited the sound of Asuka's door opening and...

"Not again!"

The voice of the German girl broke the silence of the apartment as she stared at the bathroom door. She wasn't quite glaring, but her gaze made it apparent that she wasn't happy to have to wait to use the bathroom again. But it couldn't be helped; Rei was just an earlier riser than she was. Turning away from the door, Asuka simply made her way back to her room, but not before speaking to Shinji.

"Don't even think about going in there before me."

Shinji simply watched her storm back to her room and then turned back to his work, whispering lightly. "Good morning to you too, Asuka."

Despite the aggressive persona however, Shinji knew that she wasn't nearly as volatile as she was before when she first arrived. Like Rei, the changes Asuka had undergone were subtle, but noticeable. So while her mannerisms were the same, they were only a part of who she was, not the whole. And Shinji knew who the real Asuka was.

He may have always known...

Soon enough, breakfast was ready and the Children were seated together and eating. Today they would be returning to school after a year long absence since the invasion on NERV. With Tokyo-3 finally coming back to a semblance of order, school functions were able to resume again.

"It's going to feel weird going back to school after all that's happened." Asuka commented, breaking the silence as she took a bit of food to her mouth.

Rei nodded. "Everything will be different."

"Yeah." Shinji added.

"Hey, don't you two start getting depressed on me." Asuka shot out. Shaking her head, she went on. "I can't believe I'm the one that got to perk you guys up about school. At least you haven't gone through college just to go through school all over again. So, no complaints, got it?"

"I..." Shinji found himself stammering. "I wasn't...well..."

"Perhaps not everything will be different." Rei said quietly, sipping on her cup of juice as she did.

Asuka grinned as she added to the tease. "Tell me about it, Wondergirl."

Shinji stopped for a moment, letting the two girls have their victory, before quickly changing the subject. "Have you spoken to Hikari?"

Asuka gave him a knowing glance, but answered anyway. "Yeah, yesterday. She had just returned from Tokyo-2 and had to unpack. I plan on seeing her on the way to school today."

"That's good."

Due to last year's invasion, most of the populace of Tokyo-3 had to remain in their evacuated areas until they were able to return to the city. It had taken quite some time, but eventually they were able to come back.

"What about your end?" Asuka asked. "What's up with the Stooges?"

"Same thing, although they've returned longer ago. I haven't seen them yet though." the young man paused in thought and continued, albeit, his voice dropped somewhat. "To be honest, I was expecting them to drop by unannounced or something."

Asuka snorted. "Hmph. They probably heard that Misato wasn't around that much nowadays."

"They do seem to have shown a high degree of attention to the...to Misato-san." Despite the year of change, there was just some habits were hard for Rei to break.

"Of course. Any pervert would."

"Asuka!" Shinji admonished.

"Oh, come on." the redhead returned. "You're going to deny that part isn't at least true? And be mindful; these are your friends."

"Well...uh..."

Try as he might, Shinji couldn't think of a good defense for his friend at the moment (largely because there wasn't one).Still, he tried. "They aren't that bad. And... I miss Misato too."

Rei didn't miss the pause as well as the sad in his voice. "We all do. Her duties do keep her quite occupied."

"We'll see her when go in to NERV." Asuka shrugged. "We have synch testing today."

"Oh yeah."

"I wonder why..."

It was Rei to voice that opinion, and not without good reason. With the Angels gone, synch testing served little purpose now since the Evas were no longer needed.

"We'll find out soon enough." Asuka replied, rising up from her seat after finishing her breakfast. "In the meantime, we have school to deal with, so... Baka, Wondergirl, let's get a move on!"

* * *

_NERV HQ, Eva Hanger_

"Ohayo, Ritsuko-sempai." _("Good morning, Ritsuko.")_

Entering the observation deck above the Eva hanger, Ritsuko strode in with a cup of coffee in her hands. With a light smile, she nodded to her former assistant; now head of the NERV science department, not missing the white lab coat that Maya now wore. After the invasion, Ritsuko had spent a couple of months in a NERV mental institution. Initially, it was going to be decided that she'd face imprisonment the same as Gendo Ikari for her part in his plan, but Misato defended her and prevented such an outcome. The downside was that she was to be institutionalized for some time, but she figured that was better than life in prison.

Especially with her friends visiting her whenever possible...

Before her time there was completed, Maya spoke to her about a position in NERV that she could be of help should she wish to return. Despite what she had done in the aid of Gendo and SEELE, the fact remained that Ritsuko was one of the most brilliant scientific minds in the world and thus a valuable resource. Ritsuko wouldn't be able to be head of the science department, but she would be able to work there as an advisor.

At first, Ritsuko thought of declining the offer, having more than enough of NERV to last several lifetimes. But she soon realized that in the end, she was a scientist and that she wouldn't be happy, or at least content with settling down now. And the resources of NERV were second to none in the world. Therefore, she accepted the offer, much to Maya's and Misato's pleasure. But...

"How are things?"

"The same." Maya replied in a half sigh. "The check ups on all three Evas have been completed and systems are ready to go."

Ritsuko simply nodded and strode of to the viewing window. Maya looked at her former instructior questioningly. Despite being the new head of the science department, oftentimes, Maya still felt like the young assistant who was following Ritsuko's orders.

"Is something wrong?"

"No...well, I don't know." Taking a sip of her beverage, she simply sighed. "Not much to do around here nowadays, is there?"

"There's still a lot we can learn from the Evas." Maya replied, seeing where the conversation was going and trying to keep optimistic.

"But not a lot of use for them. They were made to fight the Angels. Without them, the Evangelions..."

Ritsuko then paused and gave Maya a short glance. It was a pure surprise that her former protégé' was trying to keep an upbeat attitude now, despite everything that had happened and everything that was happening.

_'No sense in treading down her hopes...'_

Shrugging, Ritsuko looked back out the viewing window and took another sip of her coffee. "But what do I know? I'm just an advisor now." She then gave a light smile. "You're the one in charge of the science department."

Maya chuckled back. "One day, I may actually believe that, Ritsuko-sempai." Her voice quieted a bit. "Have you seen Misato-san yet?"

Ritusuko noticed her lapse of formality for the commander here, but chose to ignore it. _'Misato would.'_ she mused. "Yeah. She's a bit of a mess. But that's no surprise considering things."

Maya nodded in understanding. Their newfound positions came were a difficult transition to take. Most of the time (including now in Ritsuko's presence), it was hard for Maya to keep in mind that _she _was one in charge of the science department now.

"Is there any way to help her?"

"I don't know." Ritsuko shrugged. "And I'm probably the last person to be offering advice."

Maya didn't miss the sad note in her mentor's voice. She had heard it all too well during her visits when she was in the mental institution and knew the reasons behind it (some of them anyway) _'Oh, no you don't.'_ Ritsuko had come too far to be falling back into depression again, not if she could help it.

"What do you know?" Maya smirked. "You're just an _advisor_, right?"

An expression of shock followed by a soft chuckle. "Touché'."

* * *

_Tokyo-3, Streets_

"Asuka!"

Meeting on the sidewalk on their way to school, Hikari smiled as the Children approached. Asuka broke away and moved ahead to meet her friend, who clasped her in a warm embrace.

"It's been too long, Hikari." Asuka smiled as she parted from her.

"Tell me about it." Looking behind her, she then waved at the remaining two. "Shinji, Ayanami, hey there."

"Hello." Shinji waved back.

"Representative Horaki."

Hikari raised an eyebrow. _'Some things never change.'_ "We're not in school yet Ayanami, so you can call me Hikari."

The blue-haired girl was silent for a moment and then slowly replied. "Only if you will call me Rei."

Hikari blinked; not expecting that. _'Then again...'_ Giving her a light smile. "Okay...Rei."

At that point, Shinji felt a tremor in the Force and turned about to see Touji and Kensuke coming up to them from the other side. Like himself, Rei and Asuka, Touji had a strong aptitude with the Force. However, when Qui-Gon had asked to train him, he had chosen to forgo the Jedi training that the other Children had undergone, simply settling for basic lessons. As for the reasons why, Touji had simply said that he wasn't cut out to be a Jedi. Shinji felt that there was more to his reason, but he wouldn't press. Not everyone was cut out for the Jedi path.

"Hey. Looks like the whole group is here." Touji spoke. Eyeing Asuka, he then grumbled. "Even the Red Devil herself."

"Hmph. And here I was in a good mood." Asuka growled in return. "Leave it to the Head Stooge to mess that up."

"Hey now, don't you two even think about starting!" Hikari interjected before they could throw more words at each other. "This is the first day back and I think it should be on a good note, don't you?" Her gaze went from Asuka to Touji as she stood in between them. "So how about it? A truce for today?"

"...Fine." they replied in unison.

The group moved on and chatted among themselves. Mostly it was Asuka and Hikari talking to each other while Touji and Kensuke went back and forth with Shinji and Rei would simply listen in and throw in a brief comment or two. For Shinji, it was a nice change of pace. Like how it had been in the old days; those brief moments when he wasn't the Third Child or even a Jedi apprentice.

He was just a normal boy going to school with his friends...

His glance moved to Touji and took note of his hand. A flash of guilt went through Shinji as he remembered that it was artificial; a biomechanical hand so advanced that it was indistinguishable from an ordinary hand. But Shinji would always know the difference. After all, he was there when he had lost it. Touji never blamed him for it and truthfully, the loss wasn't his fault. Rationally, Shinji knew he wasn't responsible, but the feelings remained nevertheless.

"Hey, Shin-man, you okay there?" Kensuke noticed. "You're spacing out there."

"Huh?" Blinking out of his thoughts, Shinji scratched the back of his head. "Oh, yeah. I'm fine. Sorry."

"Guah!" Asuka exclaimed from the head of the group. "Honestly, can you go one day without apologizing?"

Shinji gave her a weak smile and the group continued on as before. However, he turned to Rei and found a penetrating crimson gaze focused on him. Obviously, his thoughts had betrayed him and Rei saw through it. Probably Asuka as well, although she hadn't said anything about it and leaving it up to Rei to handle him. That made him chuckle humorlessly, that Asuka would do something like that. But then again, there were times when disapproving silence was better (or worse, depending on which side of it you were on) outspoken berating. However, he did pick up a thought from Rei just before she looked away.

_'What's done is done...'_

Shinji gave her a mental nod. She was right. Looking back on the bitterness of the past was pointless. He was in the present, the here and now, as Qui-Gon had always taught them. And right now, he was with his friends. He felt a light smile come up on his features at the thought and continued on with the others to school.

* * *

_NERV HQ, Commander's Office_

The office looked absolutely nothing like what it had before under Gendo's command. Well, that wasn't totally true. A sole desk still stood in a middle of the wide open chamber. But there was now two extra seats on the other side of them for others to sit in should she call. She remember how bad her leg would cramp up after being in there while Commander Ikari sat before them with his fingers folding and glare intimidating. But then again, she didn't know if that would have been a good thing to be seated before the him.

The greatest difference however, was the fact that the black expanse and the Sephirot images were taken down, thus allowing natural light to practically flood into the chamber and allowing the walls to illuminate in a light crystalline blue hue. The result of this being a complete turnaround for the office. Where it was once cold and intimidating, it was now inviting and relaxing.

Unfortunately, relaxed was the last thing going through Misato's mind as she held her head on her palm, all the while looking down at the papers on the desk. They were all the same thing; notices on bills and financials concerning NERV and its activities, or rather, lack of. Before, these problems weren't an issue. Since the Angels presented a threat to humanity, the Evas had to be kept in maintenance. But now that the Angels were gone, the purpose of the Evas had been completed.

As was NERV...

That was where things had gotten dicey. At first, that didn't seem to be a problem, at least, from Misato's standpoint. With everything that NERV and the Eva project had put both her and the Children through, she didn't mind the thought of NERV being disbanded. Granted, many would lose their jobs for it, but she knew that would be temporary, as many of the NERV staff were experts in various fields. But upon further examination, she saw that much of NERV was connected with the functions of Tokyo-3 itself.

Long story short, NERV's fate was tied with Tokyo-3...

It was that reason alone that she took up the position as the new commander of NERV. But along with the aforementioned problems, NERV's reputation, now exposed to the world, was a bad one. While it was true that much of the blame for its activity was placed on Ikari and the others of SEELE, they were also tied with NERV and their reputations would stick to it as well. Now it was up to the former Operation Director to find a way to savage NERV's reputation and support Tokyo-3.

_'God, I need a beer...'_

Rising up from her seat, Misato turned and moved to look out onto the Geofront. Her gaze shifted upward at the city above. To think she was responsible for an entire city now. It was a lot for her to deal with. But she couldn't, no, wouldn't complain. The Children have suffered far worse than her through all of this. Now they had a chance for a semblance of a normal life, at least for now. She knew that they would never truly have such a life.

Not just because of being Eva pilots, which alone would have left them scarred for life. But also because of the training from the Jedi master, Qui-Gon, who had revealed that the Children were more gifted than she could have imagined. And they seemed to be better people for it. She felt a slight pang as she realized that she hadn't seen them for days now. At least they would be coming in for synch testing, although a lot of good that would do. Still, anything to see them again.

It might help relieve some of her stress...


	3. C2

Disclaimer: See initial chapter

* * *

_**SulliMike23**_ - _It's Evangelion and Star Wars. Peace is almost guaranteed to go right out the window. It never lasts very long. Although I'm hoping to keep it up a bit longer before all heck breaks loose._

* * *

_Chapter 2 - First Steps..._

* * *

"Rise! Bow! Sit!"

With that call from Hikari and the actions that followed suit, the class began. And the moment after she took her seat, Ayanami Rei turned her head toward the window, gazing outside. The clear sunlit blue sky always appeared to the First Child, as the setting always allowed her to think. Generally it was nothing in particular, but the freeness of thought alone appealed to her. During the Angel Wars, it had been one of the precious few time where she didn't have to think about fighting the Angels, NERV, or even Commander Ikari.

Moments where she felt free...

Of course, now she realized that she had always been free. She had just never known it. She had her first inklings of it when Shinji first arrived to Tokyo-3, watching his personality affecting others and he being affected in return, then his growth upon meeting Qui-Gon and being trained as an apprentice. Then when he offered to help her learn about her own power, this realization grew. And as time went on, she felt herself grow, not as an instrument, but as a real person.

And then she 'died'...

But it seems, even that did not stop her. Her memories somehow bonded with her through the Force and as a result, she was reborn, in the body of the third. It seemed incredible, even impossible, even with the existence of the Angels, EVAs and everything else that had happened. But some time ago, Qui-Gon had told Shinji that rebirth was in fact possible. It was, after all, part of the purpose of both NERV and SEELE Instrumentality projects. But more than that, it was also possible through the Force somehow.

Qui-Gon was proof of that.

Her realization awakened, she defied the Commander and helped her fellow pilots stop another Second Impact from destroying the world. Feeling a loss of purpose, she soon applied herself to the Jedi path, learning under Qui-Gon the kind of person she was and the power she possessed. For that, she was grateful to the Jedi Master.

But as of late...

Rei was no stranger to secrets, so it wasn't a surprise to her that Qui-Gon seemed to have a few of his own. But in recent times, she felt that the Jedi Master was troubled by something. The others had noticed it too, but Rei felt there was something more in it. With regards to perception, Rei's senses exceeded Asuka and Shinji's. And as mentioned, she was no stranger to secrets, so she knew what it looked like to hide them.

Especially dangerous ones...

Returning her attention back to class (although her face was still turned toward the window), the azure-haired girl simply sighed to herself. At the moment, there was nothing she could do about whatever it was Qui-Gon was hiding, nor was there anything she should do. Right now, it was just something for her to keep in mind until it came to mean something. Whatever it was, it wasn't something she needed to worry about until the time came when she had to.

In short, patience...

She could do patience...

* * *

In the midst of the woodland area, the sole figure of Qui-Gon Jinn sat motionlessly, with knees bent on the floor and his eyes closed. So still and quiet was he, that he seemed to blend in with the environment, doing absolutely nothing.

But there was a great difference between being still and doing nothing...

The mind of the Jedi Master was focused on the task that he was setting himself for. It had been a long while since he had undertaken in anything that seemed like a mission and the nostalgic irony was not lost on him. He had managed to put it off for some time by focusing his energies into training Asuka and Rei. It was an challenging feat, training two Padawans at the same time, especially with the two girls with such extreme personalities

But, as it turned out, the key to teaching them lay in their opposing personalities. Qui-Gon worked to instill the traits of one into the other. With Asuka, he strove to instill Rei's calmness and reflective nature while with Rei, he worked to help her be more assertive and expressive. Both tasks proved difficult, as he wasn't that well acquainted with the girls.

That was were Shinji came in...

Workig as his assistant, Shinji aided Qui-Gon in their Jedi training, at which the Jedi master found him invaluable. He knew how to 'weather' Asuka's storms all the while bring Rei out of her shell more. This, coupled with Qui-Gon's own teachings and patience, allowed for both girls to become exceptional Padawans. But more than that, they became better people for it.

It was a new experience for Qui-Gon. Not only training two students at the same time, but having someone to assist him in doing so. It was certainly not an approved method of the Old Jedi Code. Sure, other masters assisted in the teaching of Padawans and younglings, but the responsibility for training was solely on the assigned Master. But as he had long realized that this wasn't the Republic or the Jedi Order. Heck, this wasn't even a problem that spanned across the galaxy or even a star system. It was one world.

Yet the threats were still the same it seemed...

With a slow breath, Qui-Gon's eyes opened and he smoothly lifted himself off the ground. Steadily, he moved toward and through the treeland path in front of him. Moments later, he moved out into a clearing and a more public roadway where a car was parked by the side, with the driver, a certain unshaven man, stood by the hood waiting.

"Ready to go?

"Yes."

* * *

_NERV HQ, Commander's Office_

"M-Misato!"

Shinji stammered helplessly as the Commander of NERV had enveloped him in a near crushing embrace, with Asuka and Rei standing on either side watching (Asuka shaking her head in disdain; Rei with an _almost_ neutral expression). It was also something to note that all of Shinji's training on calmness seemed to fly out the window whenever Misato got like this.

"Oh I missed you guys so much!" she gushed.

"And yet, she goes straight for the baka." Asuka threw in, still shaking her head. "Seriously, Misato. This is not how the commander of NERV is supposed to act."

Finally releasing Shinji, Misato waved a hand at her. "Oh, please. Life's too short for me the acting that way all the time. Besides, it's been hell here and I need a break from being _Commander Katsuragi _for a while."

"Are we to start with the synch test now?" Rei questioned.

"Yeah." Rubbing her forehead, she sighed. "Honestly, I think it's just something to keep Maya and Ritsuko busy for a while, at least until I figure things out." With another sigh, she then perked up. "So, how did your Jedi training go?"

"Well." Rei answered. "We are official apprentices now."

Misato smiled, although mentally she took note of Rei's answer. No, not exactly her answer, but rather the fact that she did answer. In a moment like this, it would have been Asuka to normally answer such a question. But Asuka was strangely silent and Rei speaking more than usual. She was aware of the changes the two girls had undergone through Qui-Gon's initial training, just like Shinji. They were slight, but she saw them. And now they were present in the in a more subtle way.

They were the same, but different...

"That's great. Not too sure what it means exactly, but I'm glad for the two of you. Well, we better get this on with now." Turning around, she returned to her desk and sat down, placing her hands flat on the desk and looking at them solidly. The three saw the mood change in her and recognized that she was taking up her authoritive persona now.

_Now_ she was Commander Katsuragi...

"Pilots Ikari, Ayanami, and Sohryu, report to the Eva cages for synch testing."

Standing straight, the three Children saluted. "Yes, Ma'am!"

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, the three Children were dressed in their plugsuits and entering the docking bay of the Evangelions. The three exchanged a single glance to each other before splitting off and heading to their individual Evas. The reason being, they knew what or rather who, remained dormant within each Eva. And although Shinji and Asuka were more than curious as to contacting their mothers within, Rei didn't have such a luxury with her occupant. So they opted to simply do what they would normally do during a synch test and calmly sit within the entry plug and focus on achieving synch with the Eva without going over the borderline.

In the observation booth, Maya looked out as the three Children entered the entry plugs of their Evas. Turning about, she then stood next to Ritsuko, who was seated in front of the monitor with a cup of coffee by her side. Musing once again about how their roles had reversed, Maya gave a nod to one of the technicians, who started the testing process. Within the Evas, Shinji, Asuka and Rei felt the startup of their machines and simply relaxed.

In truth, synch with an Eva wasn't an exact science, so they were unsure as to how they could improve their own scores. Often, they were told just to relax and concentrate on the Eva, so that was what they did. However, in doing so, they also began to sense each other through the Force, feeling each other and the life energy around them. And as such, this began to reflect on the percentage score.

"Look at this."

On the monitors, Ritsuko and Maya saw the synch ratio between the three Children evening out, matching each other right down to the decimal and all of reasonably high strength. Although this wasn't the first time this had happened, it amazed both women all the same that the Children could be on the same wavelength, linking not only with their Evangelions, but with each other as well.

"You are recording all of this, right?"

The tech nodded to Maya's question. "Yes, ma'am."

"What do you think, sempai?"

"I don't know." Ritsuko said thoughtfully. "This is more than I ever thought was possible."

There was more to the Children's link to the Evas than just the souls that inhabit them. Something that had to do with their Jedi training. She had already seen a bit of what they were capable of during the invasion, but was too lost in her own misery to take any notice. But now, this was something...something she could focus and take note of. Who knows? It might open a new avenue of science altogether. She realized that she was probably grasping at straws in an effort to occupy herself, but it was something worth pursuing.

"But you have some ideas." Maya continued.

Realizing that it was a statement rather than a question, Ritsuko smiled. Perhaps this pursuit would be worthwhile. If it worked out, she would have something for Maya to work on. Lord knows, the younger woman would need something to help the Eva project going. And now that she was an advisor, she would have time to pursue these things without the responsibilities as lead scientist to saddle her down.

"A few."


	4. C3

Disclaimer: See initial chapter

* * *

_**JEnathan**_ _- ^_^ I'll do my best._

* * *

_Chapter Three - Friends_

* * *

The light hum of the lightsaber resounded in the ears of the fiery-haired apprentice as she steadily went through her kata. It has been three days since their return and Asuka found a time to practice her lightsaber skills on the rooftop of the building complex they lived at. Since that first day when she began learning about the Force from Qui-Gon, Asuka enjoyed lightsaber practice. Although there were other aspects to the Force, this was her favorite activity by far. She liked how her grace and skill came through as she practiced, drawing in and sensing the living Force around her. It was like the times when she had trained to be an Eva pilot in Germany. Without the worry of competition or being the best, just the fact that there was something that she was good at, something few people could do.

Something that was important...

She just wished there was a way to utilize her skills more. Not that she was looking for a fight or anything, but she didn't want to feel like the training was for nothing. And as if on cue, she felt a tremor in the Force, just behind her. Ceasing in her movements, Asuka turned around to see Rei standing in front of the exit and dressed in a plugsuit the same as Asuka (it had become a habit of the three to train in them). Asuka made a distinct note of her right hand, which was holding her newly made lightsaber.

"May I?" the azure-hair girl quietly asked.

Asuka grinned, knowing exactly what she was asking for. "Do you even need to ask, Wondergirl?"

Rei blinked once and then brought her weapon forward, activating the sapphire blade of light it as it rose. Asuka lifted hers up to meet with Rei's, the energy blades sparking lightly on contact as they crossed, blue to red. Colors that were more than just coincidence to the two. They were their personalities as well. Vibrancy to serenity, volume to quiet.

_Fire to ice..._

Asuka made the first move, whirling her blade back and bringing it quickly down overhead. In the same moment, Rei brought her saber back and up, catching the strike and deflecting it downward before bringing it back up in ready position. With a hum to herself, Asuka went at it again, this time attacking from the other side. Rei took a step back and repeated her action, deflecting the attack, but not returning with one of her own.

_'Naturally...'_

The spar continued on, with Asuka attacking rapidly and Rei defending herself against them. It wasn't like sparring with Shinji, where he would start defensive and then return with attacks of his own. Rei always stayed the defender, holding on and centering the Force through her calm. The German girl could remember when that annoyed her; infuriated her. But now, she found took it as a challenge, even seeing it a bit as a game, to try to work through Rei's defenses. It helped Asuka to come up with more elaborate and creative strategies, knowing Rei would be doing likewise. In the long run, it was a game to see what would happen first; Asuka tiring out or Rei's defense being penetrated.

It was oddly fun...

But that wasn't the only enjoyment she got out of this. It was also interesting to see Rei show more in her facial features while concentrating on blocking Asuka's attacks. Asuka well knew that Rei wasn't the emotionless doll she had taunted to her years ago. It was simply that Rei was unsure on how to display them openly. And Asuka would do what she could to help her with that.

She owed her after all...

That may have been an understatement, considering that she, in a Dark Side enforced madness, killed her. Even now, she didn't fully understand how she was alive now. It had been explained to her, sure, but rebirth was still a difficult concept to take in for her. So Asuka decided to simply accept the fact, regardless of whether she fully understood it or not. And even though Rei would say she didn't owe her anything, the fact remained that Asuka felt otherwise. And so, she did whatever she could to help Rei to fit in with others more. What she didn't expect was that what was once an obligation (albeit unnecessary) turned into something Asuka never expected.

A friendship...

They still had their disagreements and opposing natures, but Asuka could truly say that Rei was someone she could trust. And it always surprised her to know that that fact was mutual. A fact that was being reinforced now in their spar. Whatever new techniques they learned or tactics they came up with, they continued to learn from each other, all the while trusting each other with their lives. This wasn't the same as when they were piloting Evas, when that _had_ to trust each other simply to survive. This was a much more welcome desire, where they simply _could_.

Five minutes into the spar, the two finally stopped, both breathing heavily. Asuka had managed to slip through Rei's guard a few times, but Rei managed to move quickly enough to regain it, which cost a bit of energy considering Asuka's relentlessness. Taking a deep breath, Asuka closed her eyes, drawing in on the living Force for replenishment and she could feel Rei doing the same. Opening her eyes, Asuka grinned.

"I'll get you to fight back one day, Wondergirl."

The blue-hair Jedi quietly replied. "We'll see."

Asuka blinked as she caught a glimpse of a hint of a smile on Rei's face. Her grin broadened, taking in what she saw as two things. A pass at humor and a purposeful challenge. Hooking her now-deactivated lightsaber to her side, Asuka mentally nodded.

_'I accept your challenge...Ayanami Rei.'_

It was at that point that the two felt another tremor in the Force and both of them turned to see Shinji coming through the exit in his normal clothes. That alone told them that he wasn't up here to spar with them, but upon seeing his solemn expression and sensing his mood through the Force, they knew something was up.

"We're needed at NERV." he announced. "Misato's called for a meeting."

* * *

"We're here, Commander."

Turning away from the window, Misato sat down at her desk, vaguely looking up at the group of five standing before her. Ritsuko stood just behind Maya, with the three Children on the opposite side. Although Ritsuko kept her face a steady calm, she was quite worried about her friend. Misato looked as though she hadn't gotten much sleep lately. And while that wasn't an uncommon occurrence with her, she could just see an underline of misery in her eyes, which she worked to hide in professionalism.

"I called you all here to inform you that we will be receiving some important visitors soon. Akiza Koharu, and James Halberd, the Japanese representative and the Secretary-General of the UN."

Maya's eyes widened and she was the one to ask. "Why?"

"From what I've been told, it's a sort of informal inspection. A tour of the facility. Generally, they want to see the operations that go on here."

"But you suspect more."

This comment came from Rei, causing Ritsuko to blink and look over at her. Even though she knew of the training Rei and the other Children had undergone with Qui-Gon, there were some things she still never expected and Rei speaking out voluntarily was one of them. Misato on the other hand, didn't seem to find this strange at all and merely answered the girl.

"I suspect that this is just another way to put pressure on NERV to determine whether there should be a reason for it to remain. I'm sure you're all aware that NERV was created solely to fight the Angels. Now that they are gone, there no real reason to keep NERV operational. However, there are still resources here that would make it necessary to keep it going, the greatest of these being the science department. I would bet that they would focus their attention there and on the Evangelions. That being said, I want you all to do what you can to make it look good." She paused for a moment, and then worked up a brief smile. "If nothing else, we can show off our resident geniuses."

Ritsuko drawled. "Right..."

Misato continued. "Also, I want a synch test ready for when they arrive. That's where you three come in. According to the reports, you three are doing quite well in your synch tests. If we can hold a demonstration of some kind, it may impress them enough to put thoughts of disband out of their minds." Another pause and science advisor could see an almost-sigh come from the Commander, but it was stopped short. "It goes without saying that a lot may be counting on this. So everyone be on your best behavior, got it?"

"Yes Ma'am."

"Dismissed."

With that, the group turned about and began to leave, slowly at first but soon they all filed out, save for Ritsuko, who had lingered behind the others and soon stayed behind altogether. Turning around, she saw her friend resting her head in her hands. Quietly, she made her way back until she was standing in front of the desk.

"Commander?"

"Meeting's over, Rits." she mumbled back. "Just Misato."

"Misato." she started over. "When was the last time you've had a break?"

The lavender-hair woman shook her head. "I don't know. At this point, I don't even know what a break looks like."

_'I suspected as such'_ she thought. "Well, I suggest you take one. I know you have a lot on your plate now and as important as this position is, you shouldn't burn yourself out."

"This coming from miss workaholic herself." Her eyes widened at her own statement and she quickly threw in an apology. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. You're right." Taking a seat across from her weary friend, she went on. "It just means I know what I'm talking about." When Misato didn't move, the scientist tried another tactic. "Seriously, get some rest. You look like crap."

Misato snorted humorously. "Thanks a lot, Ritsu-chan." She lifted her head up, but her eyes remained closed and she shook her head. "But I can't. I still have a lot to do before I could even think of resting."

Ritsuko sighed mentally. So far logic wasn't enough to convince her friend to rest (it rarely did) and humor didn't get her to budge either. So it was time to pull out her trump card. Letting concern filter in her voice, she pressed on.

"They're worried about you, you know."

This got her to open her eyes. "Hm?"

"The Children. They're worried about you." _'And now the coup de grace'._ "Especially Shinji."

Ritsuko watched as her friend's face faltered and felt a bit guilty on manipulating her this way. But that guilt was squashed when Misato soon moaned out pitifully.

"You don't fight fair, you know that?"

Chuckling, Ritsuko nodded in agreement. "Yep." Rising up, the faux-blond placed a hand on Misato's shoulder. "Rest, Misato. I promise to help hold the fort while you do."

Misato looked up at her at gave her a smile; an honest one this time. "Okay, you win." With that, Misato rose up, with Ritsuko backing away to let her go. Accompanying Misato out of the office, Ritsuko was soon met with a side glance, a brief one, but one in which Ritsuko saw the old carefree Misato again for a moment.

"You're still a rotten cheat, but...thank you."

"Sure. What are friends for, right?"

* * *

"Bored?"

"Bored."

"Invasion bored?"

"Nope."

"Angel bored?"

"What are you two talking about?"

Turning around from their posts on the bridge, Lieutenants Makoto and Shigeru looked and smiled to see Maya coming in behind them.

"Hey Maya. Long time, no see."

"It hasn't been that long..." she started to protest. But after a moment of thought, her brows narrowed in memory. "...Has it?"

Makoto shrugged. "Well, if you have to ask, it must be."

After NERV reestablished itself after the invasion, the three of them were reassigned to their original positions and jobs, or at least Shigeru and Makoto were. With Ritsuko unavailable, the science department needed a new head. Maya entered for the position and after nearly a month of testing and training, she was given the position. While the two lieutenants were happy for her hard-earned success, it just wasn't the same without her with them.

The Bridge Bunnies...

"So what brings you among the commoners?" Shigeru joked.

"Real funny." she snorted as she sat down in her former seat, (which just happened to be occupied). "Just letting you guys know what's up."

The two listened as Maya told them of the guest they were having as well as the importance of the visit. Generally, Maya didn't have to tell them much; simply informing them of the visitors. But she let them know of Misato's concerns as well, knowing that the two of them (especially Makoto) would do their best to help their new commander. It was also a way of keeping the two lieutenants in the loop of things, not wanting to seem to hiding something. Discretion was necessary in their line of work, sure, but secrets in NERV had done more harm than good and she didn't want them to go through that; not again; and not like Dr. Akagi.

"Guess things are going to pick up here again, huh?" Makoto whistled.

Shigeru nodded in agreement. "That's an understatement."

Settling back a bit, Maya couldn't help, but feel a little nostalgic at the moment. It was just like old times when the three of them would simply talk about things, sometimes serious, other times, not so much. Although she liked her position as chief of the science department, there were moments like now that she wished she was here with them. She had resolved to see them whenever she could, but her work kept her occupied, and in all honesty, there was no real reason for her to see them at all these days.

Well, one reason actually...

"Look on the plus side." Maya smirked after a minute. "You guys won't be bored anymore."

The two of them gave her a nasty glance as she rose up from her seat. "Well, I better go. I have work to do." Her smirk rose as she walked away. "No sense in distracting the underlings."

"Wha...? Hey! That's not funny!"

_They were her friends..._

* * *

_'I have a bad feeling about this.'_

Asuka slowly turned to the young man beside her as she heard his open thought through the Force. After their meeting with Misato, the Children began making their way back home from NERV, choosing to walk instead of taking the usual transport. Each of their minds were occupied with the earlier meeting with the commander, but it was Shinji's thought that came in loud enough for her to hear. But she

"Nice to know I'm not the only one that thinks so."

Blinking out of his thoughts, Shinji turned to her. "Huh?"

Asuka shook her head with a brief chuckle. "Honestly, you're like reading a book. And that was _before_ I was trained as a Jedi." She then became solemn. "And like I said, we're all thinking the same thing anyway, right?"

She glanced over at Rei, who gave a slight nod before answering. "Yes. Something doesn't feel right about this inspection tour. ...A shadow."

The German girl felt her face tense up at her words. She had learned long ago that Rei was the most perceptive of the three of them, sensing things more strongly or with more certainty than either she or Shinji. So to her, for Rei to say what she did, meant there was something. And the last time Rei said words to that effect, they had to deal with an invasion attack on NERV as well as coming close to having the world end from another Second Impact.

"I wish I knew what. Misato's doing so much now; I just want to help her."

Looking back at Shinji, Asuka just couldn't help but smile. Here they were talking with a foreboding of doom in their minds and he couldn't help but worry about their guardian. Not that she wasn't, but Shinji seemed more intent on it. Perhaps that was his strength in the Force, she realized and mused. His empathy...

"Don't worry about it." she reassured him, brushing a stray hair to the side. "She may be a slob, but Misato's no slouch."

"And she is quite perceptive." Rei added. "She will be ready to take action when the time comes."

At this, Asuka turned to Rei again, with her eyes narrowing in inquiry. "It sounds like you're expecting something that will need action."

"Perhaps."

Asuka didn't even try to hide her frown. "Very enigmatic, Wondergirl."

Shinji looked out in front of them, his eyes becoming distant. "I guess the only thing we can do is wait."

"Patience..." was the sigh/drawl from the red-hair Jedi, while her frown remained on her face."My favorite subject."


	5. C4

Disclaimer: See previous chapters

* * *

_**Chargone**_ – True. But governments can be fickle creatures. Look at the Old Republic. Jedi were the guardians of peace and justice for generations, yet they were still turned on. Fear attracts the fearful…the strong…the weak…the corrupt…and the innocent (yes, I know, I just quoted Darth Maul).

_**Neferius**_ – I know. Isn't it delicious?

_**Toby860**_ – With the individual relationships, I'm definitely going to work on that. But as for pairings… in all honesty, I'm trying not to pair anyone, but at the same time, leave it open to everyone. I want this to be a team/group writing basically. But as I said, I'm leaving it open.

* * *

_Chapter Four - Visitors_

The days passed steadily and soon enough the time had come for the visitors to arrive. A pair of limousines surrounded by police escorts on motorcycles made their way toward NERV HQ and soon parked in front of it. As aides left their vehicles to open the doors, Misato and Maya stood just in front of the building watching and waiting.

Maya worked on keeping her composure calm and professional like the Commander. But she just couldn't help the nervousness that stewed in her. And it must have been obvious, because Misato placed a brief, but reassuring hand on her shoulder. With a light smile, the chief scientist nodded and took a breath to calm her nerves as their visitors approached, each with an aide at their side.

The first was a woman, lithe and slender in form and wearing a dark green dress suit and glasses. Midnight black hair flowed down behind her as she strode, almost icily, toward them. Just ahead of her was a man of both medium build and stature with short silvery hair. He carried an aura of authority, much like the former commander of NERV, minus the sense of dread and disdain.

"Commander Katsuragi."

"Secretary General." Misato replied, letting out her hand for the other to grasp it. After a firm handshake, she turned her attention to the woman beside him, bowing her head. "Representative Koharu."

The woman mirrored the gesture and Misato stepped back and lent a hand out toward Maya. "This is the chief scientist, Doctor Maya Ibuki."

"Doctor. A pleasure."

Maya repeated the actions of the commander, shaking the general's hand and bowing her head to the woman. "Sir. Ma'am."

"Were you not the assistant of Dr. Akagi?" Koharu asked her suddenly.

Maya blinked, almost thrown off by the question. "I was. But when she was no longer available, I took up the position."

"Hm." Her gaze turned to Misato. "And yet, she is still under NERV's employ."

"As an advisor and consultant, yes." Misato answered, inwardly unnerved by the woman's gaze and tone. _'Now where have I seen this before... ?'_

"I find that to be a bit of a surprise, given her...past record." she pressed.

"Despite that, she is one of the top scientific minds in the world today." Maya defended abruptly. "Her aid is invaluable to the managing of the Evangelions."

Koharu's eyes centered back in on Maya coldly, but before any word could be said, Halberd interjected. "I would suspect so. Now I believe we have a tour to get underway. But first, Commander, a moment of your time?"

"Of course, sir."

* * *

It was easier than he thought.

Since the invasion a year ago, NERV security had been tightened. However, during that time, one or two secret access entries had been exposed and left unguarded, genuinely due to the fact that no one knew about them to begin with. His employer had been very helpful in providing the blueprints and tech layout of the pyramid structure, making the job that much easier should everything go according to plan.

So, without any notice from the nearby guards, he slipped into NERV

* * *

"I knew your father."

That was most definitely not what she expected to hear. Misato and Halberd were in the commander's office, with the secretary general moving over to the window in silence to look out at the Geofront. Misato had stood next to him, looking out as well, but waiting to hear what the man would say. But of all the possibilities she had thought of, her father was not one of them, not by a long shot and she turned to him questioningly.

"Sir?"

He continued speaking, still staring out the window, but with a distant gaze in his eyes. "We fell out of touch for some time, but he was one of my oldest friends, and a good man." He slowly (and finally) turned to look at her. "I see a bit of him in you."

Misato worked hard to keep the frown from forming on her face. "Is that what you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Partly." he nodded. "I wanted to know your reasons for taking over as commander."

Now she frowned, although there was a hint of curiosity there as well. "Why do you ask?"

Turning away from her completely, he answered. "I viewed your record and profile, not to mention your testimony regarding SEELE and the former commander. Anyone else and I wouldn't have wondered, but you're different." Pausing, he turned back to her. "This is not what you wanted, is it?"

Misato was quiet for a long moment, debating what exactly to say. It was true, his words. This wasn't what she wanted. But considering the situation, she had little choice. She owed a good deal of people, first and foremost the Children, and she wasn't a person to leave a debt unpaid, even if it was unasked. For a moment, she considered telling him this. Aside from Ritsuko, she had no one to tell this to, although she suspected a few others could guess her reason for keeping NERV operational. She even suspected that the man before her knew of her reasons and simply wanted her to say it out loud. But, there was no need to. Until a new option came up, this was her burden and her burden alone.

"Respectfully sir, I have my reasons. Let's just leave it at that."

Closing his eyes briefly, the man gave a thoughtful hum and nod. "As you wish, although I suspect I may know the reasons." His eyes opened and gently settled on her. "Just know that help may not be far away if you need it."

Surprised, Misato merely inclined her head to him, wondering what he had just meant by his last words. But he merely smiled at her and made his way to the exit.

"Now then, on with the tour."

* * *

Perfect

Bent down in a dark chamber, the shadowy figure had unfurled a small pack on the ground. In it were devices and cylinders of various sorts. Separately as they were, they weren't much. However, as the figure connected them together, slowly, but surely, a weapon came into form.

A sniper rifle.

Everything was going according plan, and there were a few minutes before the time was right. All that was needed was to wait for the target to get into position. Everything was just right. Positioning was set and the exit route was secure. And that was needed now was to wait for that moment. One moment, one shot, and it would be over. The test would begin soon now.

With a silent click, the weapon was ready

* * *

_'!'_

Her eyes snapping up, Rei stared upward in search for. She had been feeling uneasy ever since she came into NERV today. Before it was just that; a feeling. Asuka and Shinji had both said the same thing to her and she could see the concealed, but uneasy expressions they wore now as they all waited in their plugsuits for the tour group to arrive. But right now, it almost felt like a physical force. It was though the Force was literally telling her that something was wrong.

_Very_ wrong.

Her attention soon diverted to the tour group as they came toward them from the elevator. She could make out Misato and Maya walking along with two others, whom she identified as the Japanese representative and the UN secretary general. At the moment, Misato, who was in the lead, was directing their attention to the behemoth machines behind them.

"And here are the Evangelions. Units 00, 01, and 02."

"They are more impressive up close compared to what I've seen." Halberd said in awe. "And intimidating."

Nodding in agreement, the commander then turned their attention to the assembled Children, lending out a hand to each one. "And here are the three Children. First Child, Ayanami Rei. Second Child, Asuka Langley Sohryu. The Third Child, Ikari Shinji."

Halberd's gaze lowered from the Evas to the Children, but the expression of awe didn't leave his face. If anything, it grew and mixed with disbelief. Blinking once, he stood away from Misato and directly in front of the Children.

"I would like to personally offer my thanks to you three for all that you've done. The world is in your debt for your heroic actions against the Angels. It goes without saying that none of us would be here today if not for you."

Misato blinked in surprise as Halberd unexpectedly bowed his head to the Children. The surprise was mirrored on Shinji's face as well. Asuka had a mixture of surprise and pride on her features and Rei's face remained mostly the same, save for lowered eyes and a very light hint of a blush, which served to dispel her uncertainty for a moment. At that point, Ritsuko approached the group from the side, a clipboard in her hands.

"All preparations are ready, commander."

"Thank you." Misato replied. Turning back to the guests, she introduced. "My science advisor, Doctor Ritsuko Akagi."

"Sir. Ma'am."

"Doctor." Halbred nodded, shaking her hand. However, Koharu simply stared at her, her icy gaze becoming a glare. Ritsuko almost blinked questioning, but managed to keep her own gaze neutral. Misato didn't seem to notice though and continued on.

"If you will follow me to the control booth now, you'll be able to see the Evas in action."

As the group began to turn away, Rei suddenly became stiff, a dread chill going through her like ice water. Her sense of something wrong grew almost tenfold. It stifled her so that she staggered forward. Shinji turned to her in concern and began to move over to help her, but she regained her bearings and spoke up.

"Commander."

Misato paused in her step and turned partly. Rei stepped away for the others and announced formally. "I request permission to be excused from the exercise."

Turning fully, Misato regarded the girl. It wasn't like her to refuse an assignment, at all. Everyone knew that Rei accepted all of her missions without hesitation or complaint. As much as she had changed, Misato knew for a fact that hadn't changed about her.

"For what reason?"

"A maximum use of this exercise would be hindered by the 00's presence. Furthermore, it would work to save any materials and resources that would be used up during the exercise. And also, a greater demonstration of the two superior units would be more advantageous."

Misato blinked as Rei finished speaking. She hadn't been paying attention to her words, but rather how she said them. Rei had spoke with fluent logic, without any of the slight feeling she had been using up until now. That, in addition to her refusal, told Misato that something was up. But Rei was doing it in a way that didn't disturb the guests, who were listening nearby. _'Good girl'_. She turned to Maya, who had just come up beside her after having listened to Rei's explanation.

"Doctor?"

Maya took a moment to think. "Truthfully, she has a point. We can demonstrate more on the exercise with two units than three. And it would be a save on resources."

Misato nodded, silently grateful for her agreement. "Very well then. Have 00 put on stand-by."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Ayanami Rei, you are relieved from the exercise program." Her voice lightened. "Would you mind accompanying us?"

Rei nodded and moved beside her and the two walked away, leaving Shinji and Asuka to prepare for the test. Yet both of them were fully aware of the silent message Rei was sending them, not to mention the distress they felt from her through the Force. Giving each other a glance, the same thought went through their minds.

_'I've got a bad feeling about this.'_


	6. C5

Disclaimer: See previous chapters

* * *

_**Neferius**_ – Dry your tears. The next chapter is here. ^_^

* * *

_Chapter 5 - Motion_

Shinji settled himself in the entry plug of the EVA-01; and by settled, it was term used very loosely. Since Rei's request to be excused from the test, Shinji was pretty much on edge. There was something wrong; all the Children knew it, as well as Misato. They just didn't know what it was, where it would come from, or what its target was.

It was disconcerting to say the least.

Relaxing, Shinji let himself take a breath, recalling his blindfold training to mind and the words Qui-Gon had echoed to him. _Eyes could be deceived._ When they couldn't be relied on, you had to use your other remaining senses and stretch out with your feelings. Soon enough, the edge of tension that Shinji had been feeling relaxed away; not completely, but enough for him to keep his focus and calm. If- when something happened, he and the others would be ready.

-"Are you finished? Seriously, you were beginning to stress me out there."-.

Blinking out of his thoughts, Shinji looked over to the Eva's camera feed to see Asuka's face looking back at him, part in amusement and part in annoyance and just maybe a hint of concern.

"Sorry."

-"You're apologizing now?"- When his head lowered in embarrassment, Asuka teased. -"I guess you're not too out of it after all."-

Working to force out his embarrassment, the young Jedi gave a light smile. "I- I guess not."

-"Don't worry about it."- she returned. -"Just keep your eyes peeled."-

Returning her earlier tease, Shinji lifted his hand up in mock salute. "Yes, ma'am."

Annoyance came to the forefront now.-"Cute, Third. I'll remember that during our next spar."-

At that point, Misato's face came up on another screen. -"Okay, get ready you two. The test will start in a few minutes."-

-"I've been meaning to ask; what are our targets?"- Asuka questioned.

-"We've set up several cannon turrets, all in random places. I know, they're not Angels, but it will be enough to gauge your reaction and versatility."-

"You'll get no complaints from me." Shinji replied. The Children knew more than anyone what a horrendous experience it was fighting the Angels and there was no need to recall, repeat or even simulate the experience.

Ever…

-"That's good to hear. But, that being said, do try to give us a good show."-

Asuka grinned at that and both Children replied. "Roger!"

* * *

In the command booth, Misato turned to one of the technicians seated beside her. "How are we on our end?"

"All systems are ready, Commander."

Nodding, Misato folded her arms while she watched the two Evas being prepped. Behind her to her left, the Secretary General and Japanese representative watched the proceedings while Rei stood with Maya and Ritsuko to the right. Her crimson gaze was centered in on the Evas just like Misato, but her mind was on the various emotions and feelings around her.

For the most part, there was tension. She didn't need the senses in the Force to tell her that much, but the threads they formed were interesting enough. Misato, she knew, would be keeping a sharper lookout on the proceedings, more so than usual. Beside her, Maya gave off waves of nervousness, but she was diligently working to keep it from showing on her face and body.

Meanwhile, the science advisor seemed to be tense in Rei's presence. That was no real surprise to the albino girl as she and Ritsuko had never really been on the best of terms. Even though Ritsuko no longer hated her, there was still a bit of discomfort there, at least on the part of Ritsuko. But perhaps Ritsuko would be able to relate to her now.

…Seeing as how Koharu was seething hatred toward her…

Maybe hatred was too strong a word. The woman kept an icy composure, but Rei could definitely sense a strong dislike for the science advisor, not unlike how Ritsuko used to treat her during the Angel Wars years back. _'I wonder why?'_ Rei would keep that thought in mind, but hold it for later. The disturbance she felt earlier was still prevalent and strong. It had dazed her earlier, but now she could feel the awareness of the others with her, enforcing her as it were.

"Okay. Prepare to launch." Misato commanded.

* * *

In the hanger bay, the two behemoths were just being wheeled to the test site when Shinji suddenly felt…something. Intent of some kind... He didn't know what exactly, but he felt it was important to find out. Calming his mind and thoughts, he stretched out his feelings, determining to find it. It soon began to clear for him. It was a flash, but Shinji caught it. No emotion, but a focus. A dark focus... a dark intent…

_Killing intent!_

Shinji almost jumped in shock when he realized it was. Only his trained control kept him from breaking away. He had to find out where it was coming from and fast. Forcing his mind to remain calm, he sought to source of the intent. His senses stretched further though the Force, seeking to find what he had felt before. It came just before, in a flash. Only this time, Shinji was able to hold on to it, using the intent to home in on the source. Using the Eva's camera, he directed it to where his senses was telling him

_Up._

He vaguely heard Misato calling him, asking him if something was wrong. But he was too busy concentrating to answer her. His eyes soon caught of a glint of metal in one of the air ducts above the Eva supports. It wasn't much, but upon zooming in on the glint, he made out the distinct impression of the long barrel of a-.

'_Gun!'_

* * *

In the observation booth, Rei immediately picked up Shinji's thought. Her eyes flashed up to see the same he saw; the barrel of a gun pointing down right at them from high above. But who was the target? Time seemed to stop as her mind quickly went to work. The angle wasn't in her direction, but off in another…

The gun fired.

…_To her left… _

The bullet flew.

_The Secretary General!_

The glass shattered

'_No!'_

Her hand snapping out automatically, Rei used the Force to push Halberd out of the way just as the bullet entered the booth. Everyone was shocked by what Rei had done, but Misato didn't miss the bullet hole in the glass and immediately shouted.

"Sniper! Everybody down!"

Panicked, everyone did as the commander ordered; ducking down and away from the glass. From above, the sniper scowled, not believing that he had missed and not even understanding how. He quickly reloaded, hoping to get another shot. But he paused, noticing the massive crimson-armored hand that was coming up toward him.

Eva-02

Dropping his weapon, he quickly made a run for it, just as the hand grabbed hold of the support he was hiding in and crushed it in. The sniper stumbled upon the shock, but made it back up to his feet in order to continue his flight. But what he didn't know was that during his stumble, Asuka had quickly ejected her entry pod and, in an awesome feat befitting the Second Child, was now bounding up the Eva's arm, just barely making it up in time to see the sniper run out the exit.

'_You're not getting away!'_

Meanwhile, Shinji shook his head as he watched Asuka run up in pursuit of the sniper. Mentally, he shook his head. He didn't expect Asuka to behave so recklessly, although he probably should have. Asuka had always been action-oriented and had acted immediately after the sniper fired, starting up her Eva prematurely in order to capture him. But the Eva was still attached to the platform so Asuka couldn't do much else with it, leaving her with the option to pursue the sniper on foot.

Shinji hadn't been aware that _was_ an option.

-"Shinji?"- Misato spoke through the comm. -"Are you there?"-

"I'm here." he replied. Her transmission seemed to be on audio only, probably because she was talking to him from another area that didn't have a visual.

-"I can't contact Asuka. Is she alright?"-

Shinji cringed. _'Uh, oh…'_

* * *

Racing down the corridors leading to the upper level of the geofront, Asuka only just managed to keep her sights on the sniper. She was amazed enough to keep up with him this much. To be honest though, she hadn't expected to chase after him at all. But after hearing Shinji's warning through the Force, she had just reacted, using her Eva to bridge a route toward him as well as prevent him from taking another shot. It was as though she was watching herself move, reminding her of one of Qui-Gon's lessons.

* * *

"_Remember, a Jedi can feel the Force flowing through them. It is a special duality that exists with them."_

"_A special duality?"_

"_On the one hand, it seems to control your actions. While that is partially true, it also follows your commands. In simple terms, your thoughts and intentions guide the Force in what to do, which in turn, causes you to act."_

"_Sounds like piloting an Eva, except you are the Eva."_

"_Well, that's a certain point of view."_

* * *

Even now, Asuka couldn't believe her movements. But she did understand them. She had to stop the sniper, so she acted. The Force simply allowed her to do it, in a way that seemed incredible, perhaps too incredible. But, Asuka mused, nothing less should be expected from the Second Child. Ego aside, she continued chasing the sniper, all the while working through her mind to figure out what she should do once she caught up with him. But that was cut short when she looked up and caught sight of the sniper turning about.

…With a handgun aimed in her direction.

Nimbly, Asuka ducked down and to the side just as the gun gone off. But even as she did and the bullets whizzed past, she realized that the shot hadn't been aimed precisely. If anything, it was a warning shot to ward her off. _'Clearly this guy doesn't know me all that well.'_ Rising up from the ground, Asuka continued her pursuit and soon enough, found herself reaching the surface levels. The shooter was currently racing down a corridor where an exit awaited up ahead.

'_Where did that come from?'_

The sniper, seeing that she was still trailing behind him, wheeled his arm back and let out a few more shots. In the narrowed surroundings, the bullets came closer than the previous ones, forcing Asuka to stop and drop in order to evade them. The shooter continued to flee and Asuka saw that he would soon escape. She had to stop him, but she didn't know how. She didn't exactly plan this out and without her Eva, she didn't have any other resource.

That wasn't true. The Force was with her.

Stretching out with her feelings, the German girl focused ahead, looking for something, anything, to use. Catching sight of a wheeled cart just against the wall, Asuka decided to go with that. Reaching up momentarily, she snapped her hand to the side. The cart suddenly shot away from the wall just as the sniper made his way to the exit. Caught completely by surprise, the shooter tripped and was practically propelled out of the exit.

Back on her feet, Asuka moved toward the secret exit. She was cautious as she approached, but she knew the sniper had to have fallen pretty hard. Reaching the exit, Asuka found what she expected to see; the sniper was on the ground groaning in pain and holding his leg. His handgun had been knocked out of his grasp and had fallen to the side. Using the Force again, Asuka guided the weapon into her hand and aimed it at the shooter. It wasn't a lightsaber, but it would do.

"You're in so much trouble, buddy."

The sniper grimaced and looked up at her, seeing his weapon in her hands. He wasn't going anywhere, especially when she heard the commotion of the Section 8 personnel approaching them. It was only when they had arrived and hauled him up did she lower the gun. He didn't have to worry about her using it though; she had clearly seen that the fall had twisted his ankle. Beside, Misato would have questions for this guy.

Too bad he wouldn't answer them.

A tremor in the Force warned her, but by then, the sniper's head jerked to the side suddenly, with a spray of blood scattering over the ground. The guards holding him released him and the body crumbled to the floor. Holding off a bout a nausea that came over her, Asuka quickly ducked and looked about and the guards followed suit, recognizing that there was another shooter out there.

Her eyes soon caught sight of a figure some distance, wearing jet black gear and a motorcycle helmet covering his head and seated on a motorcycle equally shaded in black. The figure quickly put away the rifle they had and drove off, racing down the street and disappearing down the road. Standing back up, Asuka could only gaze out in the direction of the second assassin.

'_This is going to be a long day.'_


	7. C6

Disclaimer: See previous chapters

* * *

_**Neferius**_ – Yes she is. But it wouldn't be Asuka any other way.

_**Chargone**_ – I'll take your word for it on the sanity bit. But then again, madness can be fun at times.

* * *

_Chapter 6 - Figuring_

'_First rule of an assassination; Kill the assassin.'_

That was Misato's thought as she read over the report given to her by Section 8. As if this day hadn't already gone to hell. It was bad enough that the guy had managed to get in to NERV completely undetected, but that he took a shot at the Secretary General of the UN during his visit here. That alone told Misato that this was a planned attack. What made it unnerving was how easily it was done. The shooter had not only infiltrated NERV, but knew an exit out that she didn't even know about. It meant that whoever this guy was, they knew the layout of the geofront. How much of it, she didn't know.

And with the shooter was now dead, she would never know.

It also didn't help that she was unable to learn the identity of the second assassin, the one who took out the first. Even with all the cameras and surveillance, there was nothing to show or reveal his identity. He had been fully covered from head to toe and his height and build was average; nothing distinguishing whatsoever, not even the weapon he used.

…Frustrating her further.

This is just about what she feared would happen, more or less; that someone would use this time to discredit NERV and add greater pressure to its stability. _'And to my skull'_ she thought bitterly as she began to massage the side of her forehead. The only thing that prevented her head from pretty much exploding was the quick actions of the Children in saving the Secretary General.

If anything, that was more than a silver of good news. Halberd had been amazed and impressed by their swift actions, even though he didn't understand just how they did it. And to be honest, Misato wasn't looking forward to explaining it to him, especially since she didn't fully understand it herself. It had been difficult enough to keep her commander persona when she had debriefed them, especially in regard to those few moments of the shooting.

"_So let me get this straight." Misato began once they had finished telling her their actions. "Shinji, you spotted the shooter and you... warned Rei, who… pushed the secretary general out of harms way. At the same time, Asuka, you exited your Eva and went after the assassin and managed to subdue him before he could escape. Does that just about cover it?"_

_The three looked over at each other briefly in a silent exchange. Finally Asuka answered simply._

"_Just about, Commander."_

With everything that had happen in the invasion, it was still amazing how Misato could still be in disbelief over their abilities. Heck, hearing that Asuka chased the assassin on foot and unarmed practically gave her a heart attack. But that brought about an idea that she had never considered. Or rather, decided not to consider. With their abilities, the Children could do things that could go well beyond the Eva project. On instinct alone, they were able to save a high-ranking diplomat and bring down a shooter unarmed (unless you count Asuka's attack with the 02) within a few minutes. Coupled with their Eva training, they could…

She stopped her thoughts right there. There was a reason why she didn't want to think along those lines. Normalcy... She wanted them to have as normal a life as possible. It was the primary reason why she took up command of NERV to begin with. Sure, she also wanted to keep Tokyo-3 from falling apart, but more so for the sake of the Children. They saved the world and whether they liked it or not, agreed with her or not, she owed them for it. For every single battle she sent them in, for every scar and injury they suffered, both physically and mentally.

She owed them a chance.

Shaking her head, the Commander brought her thoughts back to the present. She already knew why she was doing what she was doing. Glossing over it wouldn't change anything. Now she had matters to attend to; assassins to find and bring down, and most of all, discover the plot behind their attack. She knew well enough that what happened today was only the beginning of something bigger on the horizon. And whatever it was, she wanted to be ready for it

...Which reminded her…

Reaching into a side draw of the desk, Misato picked out a phone and placed it to her ear after dialing a number. It didn't take long for the recipient on the other end to pick up and respond.

-_"Hey, sweetheart. Please tell me this is a social call."_-

"I'm afraid not."

-_"Didn't think it would be."_- was the sighing reply. -_"I heard what happened."_-

"I figured you would have. I don't suppose you can shed some light on the situation."

-_"Already working on it. My partner and I are working on a lead now."_-

"Then I'll let you get back to it."

The voice softened. -_"It's nice to hear your voice, Misato."_-

"Yours too."

-_"Don't work too hard."_-

Misato gave a light sigh as she hung up. _'Too late for that.'_

* * *

Hanging up, Kaji gave a wistful smile. Hearing Misato's voice always did make him smile, whether she was yelling at him or not. But at the same time, hearing the light stress in her voice made worry. His smile waned as he thought of what her position was putting her through, but it was her choice. A surprise to be sure, but after thinking it over, he guessed that she was probably doing it for the Children. If there was any driving force in that woman's life now that had been stronger than her desire for revenge against the Angels it was those three.

Well, far be it for him to get in the way of that.

Bringing his mind back to the job at hand, Kaji's mind went to work. As he told Misato, he was aware of the attempt on the life on James Halberd. That was plenty to make him worry. Given how the shooter knew not only how to enter the geofront, but knew of an escape route as well, it meant that he had a intricate knowledge of its layout, and that knowledge wasn't exactly easy to come by.

One or two names popped in his head.

On a positive note, he had also heard of the actions of the Children. He was surprised to say the least, especially upon learning that Asuka had personally chased down and managed to subdue the assassin, at least before he was killed by another one. _'Misato must have had a heart-attack on that one'_ he chuckled mentally.

Oddly enough, Qui-Gon didn't seem at all surprised at hearing this. Or maybe not so oddly enough seeing as how he was the one who taught them how to do all that stuff to begin with. Kaji had seen firsthand a few of the tricks the Jedi Master was capable of and this naturally aroused his curiosity. He tried to get some background info on the man, but there was nothing of any note. The guy was subtle, that was for sure. Even with his unique abilities, he didn't do anything to be noticed.

"Still trying to figure me out?"

Blinking, Kaji looked over at his partner. The two men were seated in a diner restaurant awaiting a contact. Qui-Gon currently was currently nursing a warm drink in his hands and had been quiet when Misato had called them earlier, but somehow managed to speak as though he knew where his thoughts were going. With a slight grin, Kaji returned.

"What gave me away?"

Qui-Gon shut his eyes briefly as he took a sip of his beverage. His eyes were still closed when he answer. "Your eyes; you have the look of a man trying to solve a puzzle."

"Well, isn't that what you are; A puzzle?" Kaji challenged.

"Perhaps; or perhaps I am just what you see."

Kaji gave a humorous snort. Since they started working together, their conversations would always end up this way. From the start, Qui-Gon had seen through Kaji to realize that he was curious about him; about his abilities as a Jedi. The spy had started with some sidelong questions, but Qui-Gon simply answered them all the same way, all the while letting Kaji know that he was on to him. Personally, Kaji believed the Jedi Master enjoyed messing with him.

"And what is it that I see?"

"Only you can answer that."

Kaji groaned; Qui-Gon smiled.

* * *

"What a day, huh sempai?"

With a heavy sigh, Ritsuko slumped into a seat. Maya's words were definitely an understatement. The visit of the both the Japanese representative and the secretary general of the UN was stressing enough. But add to the fact that she had been shot at (she wasn't the target, she knew, but she was in the same room and that was close enough) made it worse. Then you count in the actions of the Children soon afterward (especially Asuka) and Ritsuko wondered how she was on her feet a long as she was.

"That's one way to put it."

Moving beside her, the head of the science department folded her arms. "Lucky the Children acted when they did."

Risuko shook her head. "I don't think luck has anything to do with it."

Moving the seat over to one of the computer terminals, Ritsuko began bringing up the data feed as well as the video feed from the events before. She was present during the Children's debriefing and couldn't help the stunned expression that came on her face. While she had seen the few remarkable changes Shinji had undergone during the Angel Wars, she hadn't witnessed what all three had done during the invasion. So upon seeing the video recordings were, she was left in awe. Shaking her head, she shifted her gaze to the second monitor, where the readings recorded from the Children's plugsuits were being displayed.

" Look at their bio-readings. It just like when they synch in the Evas. But the readings don't stop there." Her gaze switched back and forth from one screen to another. "They kept up even after Asuka exited her Eva."

Beside her, Maya's eyes narrowed in thought as she took in this information. "Maybe we should look deeper. How about checking on the cellular level?"

'_Hm. Never thought of that.'_ Out loud, the science advisor nodded. "Guess it's worth a look."

Sitting down, Maya went about in and went to work in adjusting the bio-readings on the plugsuits, allowing for a look on the cellular level, all the while feeling a bit nostalgic at being on a computer terminal like this. _'When I was the assistant…'_ Finally, the screen popped up with the desired image and both women were shocked by what they saw.

"My god… Look at all this. It's incredible."

"It's like their cells are in a state of hyperactivity." Ritsuko added, her eyes taking in the details of what she saw. "I've never seen anything like this."

This surprised Maya, who blurted out "Really?"

"I rarely had to analyze the Children at this level."

That was true. The main use for the plugsuits the Children wore showed a generalization of their body functions in lieu with the Evangelions. As such, it wasn't really necessary to narrow down to cell functions and activity; those were generally compiled and inputted as figures by the Magi supercomputer. But this may be the first tangible evidence they've discovered in relation to the abilities of the Children. And for the first time in a long while, Ritsuko felt the thrill and excitement of discovery.

"We'll have to check the past data records to confer with this, but we may be onto something here."

"Then it looks like we have we have an all-nighter then." Maya smiled, her own excitement filtering through.

"I'll get the coffee."

* * *

"The rest of your pay as agreed. "

"…."

"You should know that your employer was pleased with your work. He may call upon your services again in the near future."

"…If he can afford it."

"No need to worry on that end. We'll be in touch if necessary."

"…."

* * *

_This took too long for me to get up, I believe. Sorry about that, but with a slight change to work hours, I missed my general dosage of insomnia to drive me faster. *sigh* But as the saying goes, onward, ever upward. Now if I can just remember who said that…_


	8. C7

Disclaimer: See previous chapters

* * *

_**Nerferius**_– I think this chapter will help with some of that, except for the whole cure for the common cold thing. Sorry, but you're on your own with that one.

_**Chargone**_ – I'm not entirely sure. Sometimes I write, things pop up there, it sounds good in my head. *shrug* I'm sure it means something… I think…

* * *

_Chapter 7 – Start of Discovery_

NERV HQ

"Whoa, looks like someone pulled an all-nighter."

Makoto turned toward the exit at Shigeru's statement as Maya strode onto the bridge of the command center. Indeed, her eyes were heavy with weariness and lack of sleep, but that didn't stop her face from flushing with embarrassment from the teasing comment.

"That obvious huh?"

"Pretty much." Makoto nodded. "What's up?

With a heavy sigh, the young scientist sat down, vaguely aware that her two compatriots were standing up from their seats for a change. "Ritsuko-sempai and I were looking over the data on the Children, given what happened during the visit."

The two nodded in understanding. "That was something, I'll say. Especially with Asuka and how she practically ran up her Eva." Shigeru's eyes went up thoughtfully. "How did she do that anyway?"

"You guys remember that special training they had with Qui-Gon-san?"

"A bit." Makoto answered. "Just that he had taught it to Shinji first, and then Rei and Asuka later on."

"He was also involved with the Invasion at some point, I think; helping the Children there as well." Shigeru added.

In truth, that was the most they all really knew about that time for sure. During the Invasion, everything had gone chaotic and the only thought at the time was survival. All three of them were in the safety (relatively speaking) of the command center and at most, they watched the battles fought by the Evas, particularly Asuka's impressive and desperate fight against the MP Evas. Beyond that, all they had were reports and separate accounts of the Children and of the Jedi Master.

"Anyway, whatever he taught them changed them." Maya continued. "Or awakened something in them; we're not sure. That's what we're trying to find out by looking over past records."

"That sounds like a lot of work…" Shigeru replied, but then followed that up with a grin. "Have fun with that."

"Hmph. I intend to." she retorted with a light snort. "What about you guys? You're not sitting around like couch-potatoes anymore?"

"Well since you asked, we're actually on security detail."

Honest surprise came over her. "Really?"

"Yeah." Makoto answered. "Misato-san wanted a few extra eyes about and we volunteered."

Shigeru snorted. "Yeah, right. More like you volunteered and dragged me along with you."

"Hey! I didn't hear you complain about it."

"Well that's because… I wanted to help her out too."

The trio became silent after the statement, knowing that the Commander had been put under more strain due to the attempted assassination of the Secretary General. Misato had gone from being hardly seen to not being seen at all. In truth, part of the reason the two Lieutenants volunteered was just to see her. And upon seeing the drained look on her face, they assured her that they would do their best.

"Yeah. We all do." Maya replied softly. Quickly breaking the tense silence, Maya turned back to the exit. "Anyway, I have some work to do, so I'll leave you guys to yours."

"Sure thing." Makoto replied with a wave. "Try not to work too hard, Maya."

"I'll try."

Both men chorused. "No you won't."

With a mental sigh, Maya exited the bridge. _'No I won't…'_

* * *

Katsuragi residence

"Hey, where's Shinji-baka?"

Seated cross-legged on a mat in her room, Rei slowly opened her eyes from her meditation to look up at the Second Child. A part of her was a bit confused that Asuka was still calling Shinji that, but she understood that it was just the way she was. And she was also beginning to realize that such nicknames were no longer out of derision, but affection (except perhaps in the case of Suzahara).

"He went to NERV to drop off a lunch for Misato-san."

"Of course." Asuka half-sighed. "I guess I should have expected no less."

While all three of them were concern over the Commander, the two girls also knew that Shinji seemed to be displaying a greater degree of worry. While it is true that Shinji had lived with Misato longer than they had and was probably closer to her, they also knew that at the core, Shinji was following his nature of the Force. Qui-Gon had told them once that each of them had a certain affinity in connection with the Force.

For Shinji, it was empathy, and as such, he sensed and felt emotions stronger than they had. It also explained his personality prior to his training with Qui-Gon. Because he sensed emotions so strongly, he was also hurt by them just as badly, ergo the hedgehog's dilemma. His Jedi training had helped him tame it in a sense, but it didn't change who he was; nor was it supposed to.

"Why do you ask?"

Giving the azure-haired girl a shrug, Asuka replied. "I was hoping for a short spar with him before I head out to meet with Hikari. Guess that's out of the question now."

Rei nodded minutely, but became immediately aware of a shift in Asuka's focus. And true enough, the Second Child continued on. "You should come with me."

A single blink, but it was enough to betray her surprise. In all honesty, it shouldn't have been much of one, as Asuka had been doing such things at random moments nowadays. But despite the changes in her life and the growth she undergone, there were still some things she wasn't _quite_ used to yet.

Asuka asking her out on outings were one such thing…

"I would not want to impose of Horaki-san…"

Asuka cut her off with a wave. "She won't mind. Besides, it'll be fun. I've been saying you need to get out more, and a girl's night out is the way to go."

One thoughtful moment later… "Very well, then."

* * *

Laughter…

That was a sound she had not expected to hear as Ritsuko entered the commander's office. Upon gazing inside however, she could see why. At a smaller desk that was stationed closer to the window area, Misato was merrily chuckling, with her hand ruffling the head of a flushed Third Child and a small meal was set between them.

"Hey. I'm not disturbing anything, am I?"

Turning to her, Misato grinned. "Just the most wonderful break ever, thanks to my little Shin-chan here."

"Misato, please…" the boy moaned.

Ritsuko however, just couldn't sympathize much with the boy; not if his embarrassment brought Misato back to her old cheery self; a self she hadn't seen for quite some time. She couldn't help but give a little smile herself at the sight.

"So what's up?" Misato asked, stretching her arms forward. "I could hope this is a friendly visit, but I know you all too well."

"I did want to see how you were doing, but yeah, there is something I wanted to talk about. Nothing serious, at least not yet." Her gaze turned to the Third Child. "Actually, since Shinji is here, we might able to get a few answers."

Shinji's eyebrows lifted slightly. "Answers?"

"Maya and I had been looking over the bio-data of the Children after Asuka's little performance during the visitation of the Secretary General. What we found was truly remarkable; her very cell structure was in a state of hyper-activity."

"Hyper-activity?" Misato asked

"I don't fully understand it myself." The science advisor replied, staring out of the glass in thought. "I've never seen anything quite like it. But I do know that whatever it is, it wasn't done artificially." Her gaze lowered and trained back on Shinji. "Shinji, perhaps you could tell us… just what Qui-Gon did with you three, exactly?"

Shinji gave her a thoughtful glance and then went into a simple version of the Jedi training that he and the girls had undergone. Both women listened patiently to him; Misato, having known all of this already and Ritsuko, noting everything being said. As far as she knew, their training was one part physical and one part mental. It wasn't hard to comprehend; in fact, its simplicity surprised her, but at the same time, didn't really give her anything to go by. However, it was enough to confirm one thing; Qui-Gon had known what they were capable of from the start. She would have to make a note to speak to the Jedi master should she have the time or chance.

"And that's it?" Ritsuko questioned once he was finished explaining. "Nothing else?"

"Nothing else."

Her eyes become thoughtful once again. "So I was right. It's something internal; an awakening of some kind; something about Shinji and the girls that make you three… unique."

"Is that so much a surprise?" Misato cut in. "After all, they were chosen to be pilots."

"True." Ritsuko didn't add in that manipulation was in a good part of the selection process. And also, given Rei's origin, such a connection shouldn't have been possible. And yet... "But this seems to go beyond that. Anyway, it's something we're looking into and I thought you should know about it."

"Well, thanks for the heads-up." Rising up from her seat, Misato stretched out again. "Now, if you two will excuse me, I have a nightmare of paperwork to get back to." Ruffling his head again, Misato smiled at the young man. "Thanks for the meal, Shinji-kun."

Clearing up the table, the boy returned the smile. "You're welcome."

"Thanks for stopping by, Ritsuko."

"Sure thing, Misato." she replied. As the two headed for the door, Ritsuko added. "Try not to work too hard."

Sitting down at her official desk, she gave a heavy sigh and waved. "We both know that's not going to happen. But thanks anyway."

The two stepped out of the office and began to go their separate ways. Or at least, Shinji was, Ritsuko remained still in place for a moment and then turned to the departing Third Child.

"Shinji; do you have a moment?"


	9. C8

Disclaimer: See previous chapters

* * *

_**Neferius**_ –I think she needs a sabbatical. But I don't think that's going to happen anytime soon.

_**Grey Wolf4**_ – Welcome back to fanfiction.

* * *

_Chapter 8 – Prelude to the Future_

The sun was beginning to set as Shinji walked back home from NERV. It was occurring to him that he did that a lot, especially after his training with Qui-Gon. In fact, it was on such a walk that he met the Jedi master in the first place. But back then, his thoughts were going about in its usual cycle of depression and self-blame. Now, they served as times of quiet reflection for his thoughts, to mull over things that had happened.

Like his earlier conversation with Dr. Akagi…

* * *

_Silently following the faux-blond doctor, Shinji found himself at the Eva cages. His senses were trained on Ritsuko, taking in the various emotions that were flowing out of her; emotions he was more than familiar with. They finally stopped near a railing, which was overlooking the three bio-machines. The silence continued, but Shinji simply waited patiently beside her, knowing she needed time to gather her thoughts, whatever they were. And then finally…_

"_Shinji, I never apologized for what I did to you…what I had showed you…"_

_She stopped speaking, but Shinji knew what she was saying. She was referring to the time when she revealed to him and Misato the truth of Rei's origin in the Terminal Dogma; the time when she broke down almost completely as she gruesomely destroyed the clones. He wasn't as trained with the Force as he was now, but he remembered feeling the heavy shame, guilt and despair from her at the time almost as if it was his own. In some ways, it was his own, as he knew that kind of pain personally._

"_I'm so sorry, Shinji."_

_The young Jedi let a moment pass before letting out a slow breath. His peripheral vision watched her face and while there were no tears or any of such outward emotional signs, he could note the control she was struggling to hold on to in order to keep such in check. And…he was sensing something deeper. But first thing's first. Taking a slow breath, he replied._

"_I knew Rei wasn't a normal girl. I just had no idea how true that was. I was shocked to be honest, but… I think I needed to see that. I wouldn't have believed it otherwise, even if she told me herself."_

_Her eyes widening, Ritsuko turned suddenly to the youth. "But…"_

"_What's done is done. Let's just leave it in the past where it belongs. But, I appreciate your apology Dr. Akagi." Turning forward and closing his eyes, he gave a wry smile. "Even if I am just the warm-up."_

_Confusion crossed her features. "Huh?"_

"_She never hated you, not once."_

_Turning forward, she fully grasped what Shinji had said, amazed and stunned that he was able to somehow pick that up, almost as if he read her thoughts, or more likely, her feelings. She shouldn't have been surprised. She remembered how, after destroying the clones and practically breaking down in front of him and Misato, it was Shinji who bent down to comfort her. But he was right; he was the easiest to apologize to. Asuka, there was nothing really to say to her, so an apology to her would be an empty one. _

_But Rei was an entirely different matter altogether. She had treated the girl badly; blaming her for things she had no control over and for imagined wrongs. It took time for Ritsuko to see how much she was messed up and that realization only began when the world was in jeopardy of destruction. She had to make amends to Rei more than anybody._

"_I… I don't know if that makes it easier or harder."_

_With a light shrug, Shinji replied. "It won't stop you from doing it though, will it?"_

* * *

No, it wouldn't stop her… Time had passed only enough for her guilt to tapper down to remorse for her part in the plans of the former commander as well as SEELE. And with that came the need for forgiveness, although she didn't see herself as deserving of it. Shinji could understand and relate to that; that had been his mindset in times past. The difference was that his 'faults' were usually misconceived in his mind while hers were actual reality.

Even still, there had been far too much pain and suffering in the past to hold grudges or things of that sort. And Shinji wasn't one to do so; neither were the other two Children (well, maybe Asuka would, but that was unlikely now). Shinji had said it himself, "_What's done is done. Let's just leave it in the past where it belongs." _And he believed that. He wouldn't have survived as long as he had if he hadn't. Or if he had, he would be in the same shape Ritsuko was in, if not worse.

Looking up, he realized that his legs had taken him on a slight detour (or not so slight) up a familiar hill that overlooked Tokyo-3. Continuing on, he soon reached the top and looked out at the city. No matter how many times he did this, he would never grow tired of seeing the sight. But it was more than the sight; it was the memories that went with it. The memory when Misato first showed him this spot, letting him know what he had accomplished; saving the city; Another memory of meeting Kaoru Nagisa, his first best friend, for the first time; And a third memory, standing beside Qui-Gon after the Angel War had finally come to an end.

Now it was a new time and they all had to leave the past behind. Ritsuko was working on that just the Children were. But to move on, she felt she had amends to make, particularly with his blue-haired friend. And while Shinji knew that it was business between her and Ritsuko, he would be lying if he said he wasn't curious as to how it would turn out. But he wouldn't pry.

Jedi didn't pry…much.

* * *

_Two days later…_

'_Boring…'_

Granted, that was the general consensus for the entire class as the teacher droned on about the effects of Second Impact on the economy (again), but for Touji, even more so. In all honesty, it wasn't so much boredom for him as it was more like restlessness. He wasn't sure why that was, but he bet it had something to do with the three Children who occupied the same class as him.

At least, that's what his senses were telling him…

* * *

"_Thank you for your offer, Qui-Gon-san. But I don't think I'm cut out for that sort of thing."_

"_I understand. But my offer will always be open to you, Suzahara-san. In the meantime, may I offer a compromise?"_

"_A compromise?"_

"_I would at least, like for you to have an understanding of what will happen to you as time passes. So perhaps I can offer you a few lessons, to let you know how to deal with it when that time comes."_

"_You think I'll change my mind?"_

"_Whether you wish to be a Jedi or not, one thing will remain unchanged. The Force is strong with you. And your path is your own to choose. Whatever that path is, I would like at least to help prevent any confusion that may come up."_

"_Oh…Okay. That sounds fair. Thank you."_

* * *

The Jedi master had only taught him for a week's time, and it was generally only how to feel the Force, but it seem that was more than enough. Now being back in school, he became more aware of things than he had before. Of particular note were the affectionate feelings he had sensed from their class representative toward him. Granted, he long had a hunch that Hikari liked him on some level, but now it seemed a bit clearer. And it simultaneously made him giddy and nervous.

Not that he would show it in public; he had an image to maintain.

But more than that, he now felt the active presences of Shinji, Asuka and Rei. It wasn't anything in particular; he was just…more aware of them. Perhaps that was where the restlessness came from? He could ask Shinji about it later; Qui-Gon had said that he could talk to them about things like this. So into thought about this that he almost missed the silent text that popped up on his laptop.

From: **AidaKensuke** -_Something up, jock-meister? Looks like you're thinking hard there._-

Groaning inwardly, Touji shook his head. He was generally more laid-back than this. It wasn't like him to be thinking so hard, at least, not when the situation didn't require it. With a shrug, Touji typed in a return reply.

From: **SuzaharaTouji** -_Just really, really, REALLY bored_-

From: **AidaKensuke** -_If you say so. Anyway, did you hear about the newest manga set coming out?_-

Touji smiled. _'Now this was more like it.'_

* * *

The door opened with a silent click, allowing for the figure on the other end to quietly step in. Taking a quick glance about, Kaji entered into the small studio apartment. If his contacts were correct, then the assassin he was looking for had been housed here. If he was fortunate, the assassin would still be here. Or actually, that wouldn't be fortunate.

He was quite fond of living…

While he had always been wiling to risk his life for the truth, that didn't mean he had a death wish. And nowadays, he had more of a reason to live, particularly a certain lavender-haired commander. But he was a spy, and she knew as well as he did that occupation carries a certain level of risk, which was why she required his help in this regard to begin with.

Keeping quiet, Kaji ventured on, his eyes searching for something, anything, of interest. A clue to the assassins' identity, perhaps even something that would tell Kaji who hired him. Granted, he didn't think he would get that lucky, but he's been surprised before. So far, there was nothing out of the ordinary, but perhaps it was the ordinary he should be looking for. Reaching the desk at the end, he began snooping around, looking for anything of value.

Unaware, that he was being looked at…

Several buildings away, the target of Kaji's search was gazing at him in his temporary residence through a single set of high powered visual equipment. It could easily be a set of binoculars he was gazing through, but this was instead a single scope device, settled on the top of a larger and very deadly weapon.

A sniper rifle…with its barrel trained to Kaji's head…


End file.
